You Are Five- The 10th in the Danny, Tommy, and Friends Story Series
by rugphan
Summary: A DP, Rugrats, and Earthbound crossover. You are now looking through the eyes of a five-year-old boy. Today Ness has been acting strangely, Chuck can't seem to get rid of his hiccups, and to top it all off, Lucas's and Claus's father, who has been missing for a long time, has shown up on the day of their adoption party. WARNING: This story is slightly religious.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note: Hey guys! Here is the next Danny, Tommy, and Friends story, emYou Are Five/em. I hope you all enjoy it! I do not own the Danny Phantom, Rugrats, or Earthbound/Mother characters (In fact, I'm not even sure if I have all of the names right for the side characters in Earthbound/Mother, so sorry if I make any mistakes. I'll gladly fix it for you if you find that I made a mistake. XD). I also don't own the title or the music on the Pillar CD mentioned, or the band Pillar. Anyways, I hope you enjoy the first chapter! :)**

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><p><strong>"You Are Five- 10th in the Danny, Tommy, and Friends Story Series<strong>  
>Written by Rugphan<p>

**WARNING:** You are not yourself. You're in another person's shoes this time. Many crazy things are about to happen to you. Don't say I didn't warn you.

**_ I_** have officially gone crazy! I feel like I'm someone else today, trapped inside my own body! I'm probably just paranoid. After all, I feel like this everyday of my life. Not that I'm saying that's a bad thing, but my life can be…well…just plain hectic sometimes. I'm a five-year-old with ghost hunters for parents, and an older sister who can just be really over the edge sometimes. Oh, yeah. And did I mention I'm running an army of babies and kids trying to stop my evil half-ghost Uncle Vlad from coming after me and my friends and ruining my life?

Like I'm trying to point out, you don't even know the half of it!

This is pretty much an ordinary day for me. And that's cool, I guess. I suppose it's more exciting than sitting in my room reading comic books all day. Heck, maybe I could write a novel about my life. It would probably be called something like, 'Danny Fenton: Just An Ordinary Day of My Life'. Cheesy title, I know, but you know the saying. Never judge a book by its cover. Besides, I think it would be interesting to read about, if I was some other person that is.

"Danny! It's time for breakfast!"

Oh boy. Breakfast.

Don't get me wrong, I like breakfast. Waffles and Poptarts are my favorite morning foods. It's just that, I just glanced at the time, and _I'm a half hour late from getting up_! NO! NO! NO!

"NO! NO! NO!" I've got to get to the shower now!

I open the door and make a mad dash to the bathroom, shut the door, slip out of my clothes, and hop into the shower. I turn on the water, and _oh man_!

"COLD! COLD! COLD!" I shriek. I should've waited until the water got warm first _before_ I jumped in! Oh, man! This is pure torture! How come I have to do this _every single morning_? I really should set my alarm clock next time…

After I get out of my freezing cold shower, I slip into my clothes. Dark blue jeans, a red shirt with a white dot in the middle, my light blue vest, socks, and my red sneakers. Ahhh! Good, old, comfortable clothing!

I quickly brush my teeth, ruffle my hair to make sure it's not too messy, and run down the stairs, tripping over the last one and landing flat on my face as I do every morning. My friends tell me I'm going to break my nose or something one of these days doing that. I get annoyed and tell them it's a part of my morning routine. So far, I don't think they're buying it. But, hey, I've got to try, right?

Anyway, Jazz is still calling me, even though I told her I would be down after I got ready. _Sisters_. _Sheesh_.

"Jazz, why didn't you wake me up this morning?" I ask.

"I tried." Jazz explains. "Five times. You just wouldn't budge."

Well, then, I guess Jazz got her point made. I sigh. "Sorry, Jazz. It's been a long week at school. Huge homework assignments and projects."

Not to mention I have to deal with Dash and Quan every single morning. But, I can't tell Jazz that. She would just go and tell somebody, and Dash would think of me as even more of a loser for letting my big sister taking on her baby brother's battles. Either that, or Dash will threaten to beat me up after school, which hardly ever happens. So, I'm not too worried. Besides, it's not all that bad really. I've gotten used to it, plus I don't really let Dash intimidate me too much. He really isn't all that brave. Although, I would never say that to his face. Unless, I ever needed to do a report on what it feels like to be applesauce.

I snap back into reality once Jazz says, "Well, it's going to get longer. You know, Lucas and Claus's adoption party is on Saturday, right?"

I stop mid-chew on my first bite of waffle.

"You forgot didn't you?"

"No, I didn't forget."

Well, that was a total lie. I had _completely_ forgotten about Lucas and Claus's adoption. They're ten-year-old twins who have had a pretty rough life. Their mom died by a giant dinosaur type thing a few months back, and afterward their dad ran off without saying a word to either of them. Then, Claus ran off and became an evil leader of a group of warriors called the Pigmask Army. That is, until Claus saw who the Pigmasks really were, and Lucas, their best friend Ness, and me and my friends busted him out of there and defeated the Pigmasks. My life is a bundle of complicated adventures. But, it can be fun at times too.

Oh, great. Jazz is staring at me. This is the part where I avoid eye contact from her at all times that way she can't tell I'm lying. So, I start focusing on my syrupy waffles.

Unfortunately, she's not buying it. "Yes, you did!" she exclaims. "Otherwise, you'd be looking me in the eye right now, instead of staring at your waffles."

How are older sisters so smart all of the time? I guess the game is up. I sigh. "Alright. Alright. So, I sort of forgot about Lucas and Claus's party this weekend. How long do I have to get them a present?"

Jazz smirks. "One day."

Great. Just great. I sigh again. Oh, well. I guess I have some after school shopping to do.

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><p><strong><em> I <em>**walk into the music store and look around. I breath a sigh of relief. Basically, at my school, I'm at the bottom of the food chain. I'm like the tiny, microscopic plankton and everyone else is the chain link of fish who want to eat me. Even the band kids are more popular than I am. They only get _two_ wet willies per day!

I guess I came to the right place. Lucas and Claus love music. They even have their own band! I'm sure I can find something in this place. But, where to start?

I glance around some more until I spot the manager behind the counter. I smile and walk up toward him. When he spots me, he grins. "What can I do for you young man?" he asks.

I smile up at him politely. "Um, I've never actually been to this store before." I explain. "Is there anything in here that would be interesting to ten-year-old twin boys who absolutely love music and that would be within my price range?"

"Name your price." the man says.

My Dad tells me to always name a low price first. That way, whoever you're bargaining with won't scam you of all of your money for something that costs less than what you pay for. My Dad's not only an inventor, he's a genius!

I quickly think about the lowest price that would be reasonable for the manager. "I don't know." I state casually. "How about ten dollars?"

The manager smiles. "Right this way."

He steps out from behind the counter and leads me to a big CD rack in the back of the store. "We've got plenty of CD's here that these young boys might like." He pauses. "What kind of music are these boys into?"

"Christian music mostly." I answer.

"What kind? Upbeat, pop, rock, easy listening?"

"Any will do. They like them all."

"Okay. Then, all of the Christian music is over here." He points to the left side of the CD rack.

"Thank you, Mr." I grin.

As I turn to look at the CDs, I can feel someone staring at me. I glance over to my left to see the manager staring at me intently. That's weird.

"Is there something you need?" I ask, hoping my voice doesn't sound too nervous-or rude for that matter.

The manager smiles, then laughs. "Sorry. I didn't mean to make you nervous, but these twin boys your talking about sound a lot like some boys I know. They're really into music and my son is in a band with them."

"Really?" I ask. This sounds awfully familiar.

The manager nods. "Yes. We're actually adopting them tomorrow. They're such great boys. And my son loves them too. The three of them have been great friends since kindergarten."

Wait a minute. Lucas and Claus's adoption party is tomorrow.

I raise an eyebrow. "Do I know you?" I ask. "I'm going to an adoption party for two twin boys too. My name's Danny."

"Danny Fenton?" the manager asks.

"Yes."

"Oh, my goodness! You're Danny Fenton! You must be the friend of my son who goes to your school."

"What's your son's name?" I ask.

"Ness. Ness Pilchard."

I smile. "I know you!" I exclaim. "I met Ness in the park at an-," I cut off, glancing around before covering the left side of my mouth with my hand and whisper, "at an unexpected meeting."

Now that I know it's Ness's dad, I can totally see the resemblance. Mr. Pilchard is a really tall man with short black hair and dark eyes just like Ness's. He wears square rimmed, black glasses and a dark blue t-shirt and jeans. He also seems like a very friendly person.

Mr. Pilchard laughs. "Oh, yes. The boys told me the whole story. So, you know about their special conditions right?"

I nod. Special conditions is a code word for PSI powers. They're like a psychic ability to control the elements with your mind, as Ness once explained it to me. Ness, Lucas, and Claus all have them. Nobody in AmityPark really knows about it except for me, my friends, and Ness, Lucas, and Claus's family. But we have to be careful about how we speak about their powers around people. Nobody else can find out about them. I don't blame the Pilchard family really. After all, I wouldn't want some person to try kidnapping me if I had these really cool powers and have them be used for evil. That wouldn't be fun.

I frown. Something just occurred to me. "So, I'm guessing since you own this music store, Lucas and Claus have just about every CD in this store, huh?"

Mr. Pilchard grins at me. "Well, not really." he explains. He pulls a CD off of the rack and hands it to me. It was titled, 'Pillar: Where Do We Go From Here?' "This one is the Christian CD they've been wanting for ages, including Ness. But I told them that I had to treat them like I treat all of my costumers and if they wanted it, they had to earn the money to buy it themselves." He laughs. "So far, they've only made three dollars worth by selling lemonade for ten cents."

It makes sense. The three boys ran away from their old town at one point, so they couldn't really have much money on hand. I'm sure they'll be happy to get a great gift like this. I smile up at Mr. Pilchard. "How much?" I ask.

"Well," Mr. Pilchard thinks a minute before answering, "normally the price for CD's are twelve or thirteen dollars, but for you Danny, I'll take your offer. Ten dollars sounds like enough to me. Just don't tell the boys I said so."

I grin. "Sweet! Thanks, Mr. Pilchard!" I pull the crisp ten-dollar bill out of my pocket and hand it to him. He laughs.

"No problem, Danny! See you tomorrow?"

I smile and nod at him politely. "Definitely!" I exclaim.

* * *

><p><strong><em> I<em>**'m walking down the street a few blocks past my house now. I'm actually not in Amity Park, but in the next town over, in a place called Emerson. That's where my playmate lives. His name is Tommy Pickles.

Tommy is actually four years younger than me. And yes, you heard me right all of those people out there who read between the lines and like to do the math. He's one-year-old. I'm actually pretty lucky. Most five-year-olds can't talk to babies anymore. They usually lose the talent at around age four and can only make out a few words. But, me and my two best friends Sam Manson and Tucker Foley can still do baby talk. We think it's a gift.

Anyway, I'm walking down the street. I can't wait to show Tommy what I got for Lucas and Claus! I'd kind of like his opinion. I'm sure he'll think that Lucas and Claus will love the new CD I bought them.

I glance up, and something stops me dead in my tracks. Two big shadows are blocking my path. But that isn't the scary thing. The scary thing is what's making the shadows on the sidewalk. I gulp staring into the two faces grinning evilly at me.

"D-Dash!" I exclaim, hoping my voice doesn't sound as scared as it seems. "Quan! What's going on, guys?"

"Enough with the friendly talk, Fenton!" Dash yells in my face. "You missed your appointment!"

"Appointment? Appointment for what?" I ask, praying that I don't already know the answer.

"You should know!" Quan exclaims.

"Shut up, Quan!" Dash glares at him.

I don't see why Quan hangs out with this jerk. He can never seem to get out what he wants to say whenever Dash is around. But, I wouldn't dare say that in front of him. Somehow, I think he could punch a bowling ball to a pulp. And I wouldn't doubt that Dash could too.

Dash is now grinning at me evilly once again. "Let's see, here." he says, pulling out a pocket book from his blue, jeans shorts pocket. He flips through it a bit and exclaims, "Here we go! Three o' clock p.m., Thursday, March twenty second, Fenturd gets a pummeling."

I raise my eyebrows in shock and disbelief. "You actually _schedule_ out who and when you're going to pick on someone?" I ask. "No _wonder_ you're barely passing kindergarten!"

Oh, great. _Now_ I've really done it. Dash's face looks like it's going to blow up, his face is _so_ red. "That's it, Fenton!" He and Quan make a break toward me. I sigh. Now, I really don't have much of a choice here. I make a sliding dive under Dash's legs, my backpack barley missing the bottom of his shorts.

I'm pretty sure I just scraped both of my knees a bit, but I don't really care about that right now. Tommy's house is about five minutes away. If I can just run that distance without getting my face smashed in, I'll be safe. I make a break for it, Dash and Quan chasing after me.

I jump on benches, dodge the people walking along the sidewalk, and try to avoid looking back as much as possible. Don't these guys have anything better to do? Clubs to go to, sports to play, family and friends to visit, anything at all? Apparently not. Otherwise, why would they bother to chase me down the street? How do they even know that I come here after school anyway? But, I can't worry about that right now. I've got to keep running until I get to Tommy's house. With luck on my side, nothing can go wrong.

Oh no! I think I just jinxed myself! I stepped on my shoelace! I'm going down! As I stumble and fall to the ground, I wince in pain. After all, falling face first into the hard concrete sidewalk isn't exactly like doing a belly flop onto your bed after a long day.

I sit up and wipe some of the dirt off of my head and clothing. Other than being a bit shaken by my sudden fall, I feel just fine. I smile, glance down at the sidewalk, and gulp seeing the two shadows that remind me why I was running in the first place. Suddenly, I'm not so happy anymore. I slowly look up into Dash and Quan's angry faces.

I gulp once more, and smile nervously. "H-Hi, guys! G-Great joke, huh?" I start laughing, hoping it doesn't sound as fake as I think it does. "Anyway," I continue, "we had our laugh for today, right? Why don't we all go home and have a great story to share to our friends when we get there? Alright? Great!" I turn around and start my walk to Tommy's house again, but a hand on my right shoulder yanks me backward and makes me stop once more.

"Forget it, Fenton!" Dash yells in my face. "You're not getting off _that_ easy!"

Actually, I don't know what I'm not getting off easy for. I don't even know what I did in the first place. I was just about to say this, but Quan picked me up by the shirt collar before I even got a word out.

"Keep him steady, Quan." Dash says. "I want to make sure those baby teeth of his aren't still intact when I'm through with him."

Just what I need. No teeth, and less visits from the tooth fairy. There goes that new Reptar video game I've been trying to save for. I close my eyes now, waiting for the pain that I know is about to come. Any minute now…

"HEY! PUT HIM DOWN!"

I open my eyes to see Dash and Quan staring behind them in horror.

"DROP HIM! _NOW_!"

"Oh, man!" Dash's voice is fearful. "Older kids!"

"You heard them!" Quan exclaims. "Let's get out of here!"

They drop me to the ground (Ouch.), and run as fast as they can down the street, screaming like a monster was just about to attack them. Like I said, they're not the bravest boys in the bunch.

I'm just about to get up off of the sidewalk when a hand reaches down toward me. "Are you okay there, Danny?"

I stare at the boy. He's about five years older than me with light, blonde hair that comes to a point and dark eyes which shows his concern about my condition. His red and yellow striped t-shirt, dark blue jean shorts, and red sneakers really stand out in the sunlight.

I grin, grasping his hand. "I'm fine, Lucas. Thanks for the save."

Lucas smiles as he pulls me up to my feet. "Don't thank me. Claus was the one who scared the pants off of those two jerks."

Lucas's twin brother grins proudly. Claus looks a lot like his brother. His light brown hair is the same style as Lucas's. He also has the same dark eyes and outfit type. His light blue-green and yellow striped t-shirt, dark blue jean shorts, and light blue sneakers blend really well with the blue sky and green grass. "Glad I could be of assistance." he says happily. He raises an eyebrow up at me. "Who were those guys, anyway?"

"Dash and Quan." I sigh from exhaustion and relief. "They're the biggest bullies in the kindergarten class." I smile, adding, "I try not to let them intimidate me too much."

"Good." Lucas replies. "Jerks like them don't deserve friends like you, Danny."

"Lucas is right." Claus adds. "Keep doing what you're doing. You're better off that way. Although," he chuckles, "I'd _love_ to kick those guys butts."

"Don't even think about it, Claus." Lucas says sternly. "If even the tiniest bolt of lighting is noticed coming out of your finger, those two will have the cops surrounding our whole house."

"Besides that," I add, "I can take care of myself. I'll go to the teacher if I have any _real_ problems with those jerks." I nod, to show them that I'm telling the truth. "I'm fine."

"Say, Danny, what's that you got in your hand?" Claus asks.

"Huh?"

"The little bag you're holding." he explains.

I glance down to see the plastic bag containing Claus and Lucas's present was still in my hand. I guess all that running and fear of getting pummeled by Dash and Quan swept the thought of hiding the twins present from my mind.

"Well," I start to explain, "I was planning on giving this to you tomorrow, but since you're already here-," I cut off, holding the present out to them. "Happy adoption!"

Claus and Lucas grin eagerly as they take the bag from my hands and pull out the CD.

"Cool!" Lucas exclaims.

"Pillar!" Claus laughs. "We've been trying to save up for this CD forever!"

"Thanks, Danny!" they both say at the same time.

I laugh. "No problem." I don't mention the fact that Ness's dad recommended it for me to buy for them. Somehow, I don't think that would be right to tell them.

"Are you heading to Tommy's house?" Lucas asks. "We were just heading over there to see how he and Chuck are doing."

I smile. When Lucas and Ness first met all of us, Lucas and Tommy's best friend Chuckie Finster had become extremely close. Lucas had just lost his mom that previous month, and Chuckie was just starting to question about the loss of his mother due to some sort of sickness about a year ago. Plus, Chuckie and Lucas are both shy, can be scared of many things, and are always caring about others. So, I guess they can relate to each other quite a bit.

"Yeah." I answer. "We can walk over together."

* * *

><p><strong><em> T<em>**ommy's laughter is the first thing I hear as Claus, Lucas, and I enter the Pickles' living room. "What's so funny, Tommy?" I ask.

Tommy, who was sitting in his playpen glances up at me. "Hi'ya, Danny!" he exclaims. "I'm just watching Chuckie drink his cippy cup of lemonade."

Chuckie Finster, who is facing Tommy is gulping down his drink happily. He pauses, mid sip, and swallows. "I can't help it!" he grins. "This stuff is the most nummyist drink I've ever tasted!"

"I could go for a glass of lemonade right about now." Lucas says. "Where did you get it?"

Chuck immediately turns around and smiles, hearing Lucas's voice. "Oh, hi'ya Lucas! Hi'ya Claus! Tommy's mommy's gots a whole pitcher of lemonade in the kitchen. I'm sure she'll give you some."

"Okay." Lucas starts to walk toward the kitchen, stops, turns around then asks, "Does anybody else want some lemonade?"

"No thanks." Claus replies.

"I'll take some." I answer. After all of that running from Dash and Quan, I was parched.

"Okay." Lucas repeats before walking into the kitchen.

As Lucas goes into the kitchen to get our drinks, Claus turns to the babies, and says, "Remember, you guys are invited to our adoption party tomorrow morning." Claus is giving Tommy and Chuck a small grin, but I can tell from his dark eyes that he can hardly contain his excitement.

Tommy, who loves anything that has to do with good food and friends exclaims, "Oh, boy! I almost forgot! We're going to an adoption party!" He jumps up and starts dancing around, waving his arms and kicking in funny motions. I can't help but laugh watching him.

"Yeah!" Chuck grins proudly before pausing, frowning, then glancing up at Tommy once more. "Hey, Tommy, what's an adoption party?"

Tommy, who is still dancing, pauses mid step, then says, "I don't know." Then his smile widens. "But, it's a party, so I'm pretty sure its gots to be something good."

I smile. "It is something good, Tommy. Since Lucas and Claus don't have their real parents to take of them anymore, they're going to become a part of Ness's family. That's why we're celebrating."

"That's great!" Tommy exclaims.

"Congratulations!" Chuckie beams.

I glance at Claus. He looks so happy. Happier than I've ever seen him before in my life. I can't help but grin at this as Lucas walks back into the room and brings me my glass of lemonade. As I sip the sweet, tangy, cool drink, I think, 'The wait is finally over. Lucas and Claus deserve this, especially after a month of living in sadness and fear. They truly, truly do deserve this.'


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's Note: Here's the next chapter you guys! I hope you all enjoy it! I do not own any of these characters (except for Ness's dad's name). There is also a slight Phineas and Ferb joke in this chapter too (If you're a huge Phineas and Ferb fan, then you will know it when you see it. :) ), so I don't own this joke either. This chapter is dedicated to Celrock for putting ****_Danny, Tommy, and Friends: When You Believe _****as one of her top ten favorite stories in 2014 in ****_The Bestest Ten Rugrats Fics of 2014_**** for the Rugrats/All Grown Up fanfiction category (and for just reading my fanfics and being an awesome online friend in general :D). Make sure you check out her fanfics! They're awesome, clever, and very well written! You rock Celrock! :)**

**_I_** am smiling as I open the back gate to Lucas and Claus's backyard. Today is not only a big day for them, but it is also a big day for all of us. I mean, the legal papers for adoption are going to be signed today. Ness and his little sister Tracey are going to be Lucas and Claus's siblings! Mr. and Mrs. Pilchard are going to become the twins' parents! Lucas and Claus are going to be known today as Lucas and Claus Pilchard, not Lucas and Claus Harrison. If that isn't a true miracle for the twins after all they've been through, then I don't know what is.

"Hi'ya, Danny! Over here!"

I glance up and smile as I see my playmate Tommy Pickles waving to me, my best friends Sam Manson (who I've known since birth) and Tucker Foley (who I've known since preschool) by his side. I walk over to them.

"Hey, guys!" I exclaim. I look around at all of the snacks on the picnic tables along with the balloons, streamers, games, goody bags, and the large banner that said, 'HAPPY ADOPTION CLAUS AND LUCAS!' in giant, bold, gold letters. "Great party, huh?"

Sam nods in agreement. "Ness's parents-," she cuts off grinning before continuing, "I mean, _the boys' parents_ did a really good job setting it all up. They must've been planning this party for weeks."

I can't help but smile at that. Mr. and Mrs. Pilchard really care about kids, no matter if they are their own, or somebody else's. They always are willing to help kids (and adults alike) no matter what.

But, the thing is, there's this nagging thought in the back of my head. It comes and goes whether I want it to or not. Me and my family call it my Fenton instinct. And ninety nine percent of the time it's pretty accurate. This time, though, what my instinct has to say isn't very good. It's telling me that a lot of chaos is about to endure, that so many things are going to go wrong at this party. I know that's a horrible thing to think about, but my Fenton instinct almost always _never_ lies.

I just hope that this time it is.

My thoughts are interrupted when a loud voice cuts me off.

"But, Ness! I want to play a game of baseball! _Please_?"

_Oh, no_. _Not now._ I slowly glance over to my left, and there she is. Ness's four-year-old sister. Tracy Pilchard.

Now, don't get me wrong. I'm very friendly to most people. But, Tracey is like, obsessed with me or something. Whenever she sees me, she goes crazy and follows me everywhere with this weird look on her face. Her eyes get all droopy, and she stares at me with this really wide smile on her face. I swear I've heard her sigh deeply a few times. It's kind of creepy actually. I don't know why she wants to hang out with me all of the time.

Ness laughs and shakes his head. "Sorry, Trace. But, Claus, Lucas, and I are going to perform our newest song soon." He smiles, and adds, "Maybe Danny's around here somewhere."

He is _not _going to point out my position, is he?

Unfortunately, Ness's eyes are lying on me apologetically. He knows I'm bothered when his little sister follows me around, and he usually tries to give me a break. But, I guess he really doesn't have a choice. He points at me. "I think I see Danny over there, Tracy. Why don't you go over and say hi?"

Tucker and Sam smirk at me, while Tommy is just standing there staring at me, puzzled by the horrified look on my face. "Why do you look so ascared, Danny?" he asks. "It's just Tracy."

"Don't say a word about it, Tommy."

My playmate nods like he understands, but I can tell he doesn't.

"Hey, Danny!" Tracy runs over and hugs me very tightly. I can hardly breath.

"Hi, Tracy!" I gasp. I feel like a fish out of water at the moment, flopping around on the dock, trying to get back into the ocean. "Can you let go of me, please? I can't breath!"

Tracy lets me go, and I gratefully suck in deep gulps of fresh air. If she was hugging me any tighter or longer, I probably would've passed out from lack of oxygen.

"I'm so glad you're here!" Tracy exclaims. "We are going to have so much fun together!" She gives me that weird glazed over look I was telling you about. "You know, there's supposed to be a meteor shower tonight, right?"

"Uh…" I glance over at Tucker and Sam, who are grinning at me broadly. I don't know why they enjoy my pain and misery so much.

Then, I glance down at Tracy. She's staring up at me with those gray colored eyes and light blonde hair. Her light blue party dress and black dress shoes are slightly dirty from the baseball game that was being played earlier, but she doesn't seem to care. I guess hanging out with three boys all your life kind of turns you into a tomboy. It can't be helped.

Suddenly, Tommy exclaims, "Hey! I think I see Chuckie and Phil and Lil coming! I think I'll go and say hi." He toddles off toward his friends.

"I think me and Sam are gonna go and follow Tommy too." Tucker smirks at me, while Sam shrugs apologetically. Then, they walk off in Tommy's direction.

I want to shout, 'You guys, don't leave me alone with her!' but that probably would sound rude. Plus, I don't want to hurt Tracy's feelings. So, I just keep my mouth shut.

I glance downward awkwardly to see Tracy grinning up at me. "So," she says slyly, "what do you wanna do?" I notice her hand is reaching toward mine as she says it.

I quickly move my hand away before she has the chance to grab it. The last time that happened, my parents and Ness's mom started taking pictures of us. _Pictures_. I'm talking photographs stuck in my Mom's photo album for the rest of my life. Trust me, I don't want any more humiliation staring at me in the face within ten years.

Tracy looks a bit upset when I refuse to hold her hand, so I make up an excuse. "Um, I'm sorry Tracy. I just realized, I have to go to the bathroom."

Tracy smiles, seeming to believe me. "Okay. I'll see you in a few minutes."

She's still watching me, so I have no choice but to head into the Pilchard's house, and down the hallway to the bathroom. I suppose my excuse was partially true. I had a couple of juice boxes before I came here.

While I'm in the bathroom, relieved to get away from Tracy for a few minutes, I heard running footsteps, and some huge bangs on the bathroom door.

"Is somebody in there?" I hear Ness's frantic voice on the other side of the door.

"Yes." I answer. But, to myself I think, 'Can't a kid get some privacy around here?'

"Well, please hurry up and open the door!" Ness exclaims. "Please!"

Ness sounds really troubled, so I quickly flush the toilet and wash my hands, and unlock the door for him. He runs in, shutting the door, and locking it once more behind him. He's panting as he slowly sinks down to the floor.

"Geez, Ness." I exclaim. "What's the matter with you?"

"She's here." Ness breaths, running up to the bathroom mirror. He opens the cabinet, finds a hair brush, pulls off his baseball cap, and starts brushing his hair. All the while, I'm standing here without the slightest clue as to what's going on.

"Who's here?" I ask.

"Paula!"

"Who's Paula?" I'm staring at Ness in amazement now. I've never seen Ness without his baseball cap on before, let alone seen him this edgy. "And why the heck are you combing your hair? You've never bothered to comb your hat hair before in your life! What the heck is going on?"

Ness whips around to face me, takes a deep breath, and explains, "Well," he starts, "my parents invited my friends Paula, Jeff, and Poo over to the party. It's been forever since I've seen them."

I nod like I understand, but I still don't see what the big deal is.

"I was saying hi to both Jeff and Poo while Claus, Lucas, and I were setting up our band equipment, when Paula walked in and…." he glances down at the bathroom floor with an embarrassed look on his face, "….she's changed."

I raise an eyebrow. "Changed? Changed how?"

Ness looks up at me in all seriousness. He hesitates before whispering, "She looks like a girl."

Okay, now I'm lost. "Er, no offense or anything Ness," I say, "but, didn't Paula _already_ look like a girl _before_ you left New Pork City?"

Ness groaned and covered his eyes with both of his hands. "See? I _knew_ you wouldn't understand! You're still too young."

"Too young for what?" I ask. "Ness, what's going on?"

Ness sighs deeply. "Nothing, Danny. It's nothing." he replies. "Just go and tell Claus and Lucas I'll be out in five minutes. I need to regain my composure. I'm too embarrassed to go back to the garage right now."

"Well," I shrug before opening the bathroom door, "okay." I look at Ness hunched over the bathroom sink staring into the mirror as I shut the door behind me.

**_I_**'m walking out of the house, toward the garage, still thinking about what just happened over and over again in my mind. And no matter how many times I keep replaying what Ness told me, I'm still not getting what he's so freaked out about. But, maybe Claus and Lucas could figure out what's going on with him. After all, Ness _is _their best friend. Plus, I can't help but be a little bit curious about Ness's reaction to Paula.

I'm kicking pebbles out of boredom on my way to the garage, when someone stops me. "Excuse me young man, but is this the Pilchard residence?"

I glance up. This man is really tall, with shaggy reddish brown hair and a small amount of stubble around his face. He's smiling widely, with his dark eyes as well as his mouth. His light brown cowboy hat seems to glint in the sun. He kind of makes me think that he should be in an old western movie rather than at a kids' adoption party. Maybe this man was in a western picture. He looks awfully familiar…

It takes me a minute before I realize I'm staring at this guy. I smile politely and point to my right. "Yes, it is. The party's around back."

The man grins at me. "Thanks, kid."

"Yeah. No problem."

The western guy glances back at me before he heads in the direction of the Pilchard's yard. Weird. I shrug it off, and continue my way toward the front yard where the garage is.

When I get to the garage, I see Claus, Lucas, and three other kids looking around the yard in confusion. Soon, Lucas spots me.

"Hey, Danny, have you seen Ness anywhere? We were about to start rehearsing for our new song, but he kind of ran off."

I nod. "He's in the bathroom regaining his composure."

"Regaining his composure?" Claus looked puzzled. "Regaining his composure from _what_?"

I shrug. "He didn't explain that to me very well." I suppose that's half true. I mean, I don't know what was going on with Ness at the moment, but I know for sure it's got something to do with Paula. But, considering the fact that she's standing two feet away from me, I figure I shouldn't tell Claus and Lucas what's going on. Instead I say, "Ness said he'll be out in a few minutes."

Lucas nods understandingly. "Well, while we're waiting, why don't I introduce you to some of our friends from New Pork City?"

Lucas gestures to a blond haired kid of about ten years old. He's wearing a nice, gray suit with black dress shoes and a red tie. His black, square rimed glasses show off his dark eyes. "This is Jeff."

Claus points out the wavy blonde-haired, brown-eyed girl in a pink party dress with a bow to match. She looks like she is around eleven-years-old, about Ness's age. "That's Paula."

"And this," Lucas grins at a young, tan boy with his hair tied back in a braided ponytail (I assume he knows a lot about karate considering he's wearing an outfit with a black belt to match it.), "is Poo."

"Don't laugh." he threatens me. "My friends gave me the nickname, not me." Poo smiles at me openly.

"I won't." I reply, hiding a giggle that was about to force its way out. "But, why did your friends give you _that_ nickname?"

Paula starts laughing. "He always used to accidentally stepped in Claus and Lucas's dogs-,"

"Okay." I say, grimacing in disgust. "I think I've got the picture." I hold my right hand out. "I'm Danny, by the way."

Paula shakes my right hand with hers. "Nice to meet you, Danny."

Jeff smiles. "Yeah. Any friend of the Pilchards' is a friend of ours."

"Definitely." Poo adds.

I smile at the three of them. Claus, Lucas, and Ness's friends all seem very nice. "So," I ask casually, "do any of you guys know how to use PSI?"

To my surprise, Jeff, Paula, and Poo don't seem to be shocked that I know about PSI. I guess Claus and Lucas informed them about me and my friends already.

Paula raises her left hand. "I know some moves." she replies.

"_Some moves_ is Paula's talk for being modest." Claus explains to me. "She's knows double the moves we know, _and_ she has more psychic power than Lucas, Ness, and I _combined_."

I raise my eyebrows up in amazement. "That's a lot of power."

Paula laughs again. "I can handle it, don't worry." She smiles at me in reassurance.

"Yeah," Poo mumbles, "except for two days ago when she nearly fried my hair." He points to the end of his ponytail where I can tell it's a little burnt. "We've been so busy the past two days that I haven't had the time to cut the crisped up hair off."

I swear I can see Paula's cheeks turn a little pink. "And I'm terribly sorry about that Poo. Sometimes when I get really angry, I just lose control of my psychic abilities."

"Uh, huh." Jeff smirks. "When _Ness_ gets you angry."

"Ooh!" Claus and Lucas jump in as if on queue. Apparently, I don't know what's going on with anybody today.

Paula's cheeks are red now. "Shut up, Jeff!"

"Well, it's true Paula." Claus states. "We see that glazed over look you get whenever Ness is around."

Glazed over look? Wait a minute.

"What does this glazed over look, look like?" I ask, trying to be as casual as I can.

"Something like this." Poo starts batting his eyes with a goofy grin on his face. Immediately, everyone except me and Paula, are in hysterics.

"I do _not_ look like that!" Paula exclaims.

"Yes you do." Lucas says, wiping a tear from his eye.

"No, I don't."

"Yes, you do."

"No, I don't."

"Paula, you don't realize how _much_ you do it." Jeff explains. "That's why it always comes across to you that you _don't_ do it. It's perfectly normal."

Jeff must be extremely smart because I'll tell you right now, I didn't understand a word he just said. Pretty soon, the boys are arguing with Paula about how much she gets that glazed over look. I don't think my question is going to be answered anytime soon. So, I decide to head back to the backyard where the party was. Maybe Tommy and the other babies are doing something fun that I can join in on.

**_A_**s I enter the Pilchards' backyard once more, Tracy comes running up to me to give me a hug. I hope she doesn't notice I'm grimacing. Her hugs are too tight for my liking.

"Er, hi Tracy." I say politely. I'm praying silently that my parents won't see her hugging me and start taking pictures.

She smiles widely at me, and points straight ahead. "I was just talking to Tommy. We're trying to help Chuck out."

My heart starts beating at a fast pace. Many questions are going through my mind right now. Is Chuck alright? Did he get hurt? Surely, Sam or Tucker would've gotten an adult if Chuck somehow injured himself, so whatever it was, it must've just happened. "Is he okay?" I ask, hoping I don't sound as worried as I think I do.

Tracy, unfortunately, notices. "Don't worry!" she exclaims, laughing. "Chuck's not hurt or anything. The babies are trying to get rid of his hiccups."

"Chuck's got the hiccups?" I can't help but grin. It just sounds funny to me. I glance down at Tracy. "Where is he?"

"Him and the babies just went into the house. I think they're gonna try and get a spoonful of sugar for Chuck to eat from the kitchen. I told them that's what cured my first hiccups."

"Thanks, Tracy. I'll go look for them."

"I'll come with you." she exclaims, following me.

I hold back a sigh. Why can't she just follow somebody else today? But, I don't want to be rude, so I say, "Fine. You can come."

There's that glazed over look again. What the heck is going on with this girl? Tracy looks just like those pictures that Jazz took a few weeks back of me after I had to get a baby tooth pulled out at the dentist (Which I need to steal from her when she's not home so I can burn them in the fireplace.). I was so groggy on laughing gas that I couldn't control myself. Jazz thinks the pictures are really funny. I think the pictures really make me look like an idiot. But, the problem is, I know Tracy isn't all loopy from too much laughing gas. I don't have a clue what she wants from me.

As we enter the Pilchards' home, we spot Tommy, Chuckie, Phil, and Lil immediately. Phil and Lil are sitting on the living room floor beside each other, watching Chuck stand on his head against a wall. Tommy's standing by Chuck, cheering him on.

"C'mon, Chuckie!" he exclaims eagerly. "You can do it! Just stay on your head just a little bit more!"

Tracy, for once, doesn't have her attention focused on me, but instead, is raising an eyebrow at Phil and Lil. "I thought you guys were going to try a spoonful of sugar to cure Chuck's hiccups."

"We was." Phil explains. "But, Ness's daddy is talking to some guy in the kitchen."

Lil nods in agreement. "They would've seed us. So we decided to try this instead."

"HIC! How much-, HIC! longer, Tommy?" Chuck asks eagerly. "I'm getting all-, HIC! wobbly!"

"Just a little more, Chuckeroo!" Tommy replies.

"That's what you-, HIC! said the-, HIC! lastest time!"

"Just keep doing it, Chuckie!"

"Tell you what," I say slowly, "Tracy, you tell me where the sugar and spoons are in the kitchen and I'll go and get them. In the meantime, you stay here and make sure Chuck doesn't make a head collision with the floor." I really don't want her to follow me all the way into the kitchen.

Tracy doesn't seem to be offended. She nods and says, "The silverware is in the top left drawer next to the sink. The sugar is in the right cupboard over the sink. There's a little stool by the kitchen table you can use to reach it."

I smile. "Okay, thanks." I swear, I can feel her eyes boring into my head as I trudge down the hallway.

As I get nearer to the kitchen, I can hear voices. Loud and unhappy voices. This can't be good. I know I shouldn't listen, but my Fenton instincts are racking inside my brain again. I edge as close as I can to the kitchen without anybody seeing me, and I can hear the conversation loud and clearly.

"You have a lot of nerve coming back here like this, Flint." Mr. Pilchard's voice is barely above a whisper. He sounds really angry.

"I know. I know." I recognize the voice of the western movie man I ran into earlier on my way to the garage. "And I'm sorry. I should've left a note or called or something, but I really need to talk to them."

"Why? You've had plenty of chances to talk to them, _four months_ in fact, and you haven't kept in touch with any one of us! You vanished without a trace, you left your kids alone and scared, and now you just happen to show up on one of the happiest days of their lives, and you want to talk to them _now_?"

The man named Flint sighs. "Look, I know it sounds bad-,"

"It _sounds_ bad?" Mr. Pilchard sounds like he's about to explode any minute. "Let me tell you something, Flint! I don't know if they'll even _want_ to talk to you! And do you know why? You abandoned them, without even giving it a second thought!"

Flint sounds like he's on the verge of tears. "I was trying to _save their lives_, Max."

"Then you should've brought them to me!" Mr. Pilchard exclaims. "Instead, Claus ran away from home, became an evil leader for a short period of time, nearly got himself killed, was thrown into jail, and was rescued by Ness and Lucas who also ran away from New Pork City and who also nearly died trying to save Claus's life. Or didn't you know that?"

"Of course I knew." Flint replies. "It's all over the papers. And I'm very proud of my boys and Ness."

Proud of _his_ boys? Wait a minute…

Just then, I hear footsteps coming down the hallway. Ness had finally came back to the group, with Claus, Lucas, Jeff, Paula, Poo, Tracy, and the babies all walking behind them.

"We heard Chuck's got the hiccups." Lucas grins at me. "What can we do to help?"

My brain is on overload now. Should I tell my friends what I had just heard or should I stay put and tell them how to help Chuck cure his hiccups? I just don't know what to do. But, before I can even come up with a good excuse as to why I'm just standing by the kitchen doing nothing whatsoever, Flint steps out into the hallway.

Ness, Paula, Jeff, Poo, and Tracey are staring at Flint in shock, while the babies are standing behind their friends in puzzlement.

Lucas gasps, glances down at the floor, and bites his bottom lip in worry, while Claus just stares up at Flint with his arms crossed. He looks outraged.

Flint gives us all a nervous smile. "Hi, guys. How are you?" I couldn't help but feel a little bit sorry for him. His expression looked pitiful.

Flint tries to put an arm on Lucas's shoulder, but before he can even get the chance, Lucas whips around and runs. I hear a door slam and a few people calling Lucas's name as he runs out of the backyard.

Flint glances over at Claus pleadingly. But, Claus is still glaring daggers at him. "Nice to see you finally showed up, _Dad_." he says, coldly, before stomping up the stairs. We all stare after Claus as he slams his bedroom door behind him.

And here's where we jump to the conclusion of the second chapter of this story of my life. Glazed over looks, Ness's overreaction toward Paula, Paula's overreaction toward Ness, Tracy following me everywhere, Chuck's hiccups, Claus and Lucas's dad showing up out of nowhere, and to top it all off, my brain is working at fifty miles a minute. And all I can say to that is this.

HUH?!


End file.
